This is going to be another one of those days
when we're going to get right into the Word of
God. You always know when there's no music, no
singing, it's one of those important days when
we do a little digging way down deep underneath
the surface. Somebody says, oh. Good. Wait till
I get my Bible. All right. You should have had
it out before I came into your house today. There
it is. You had it handy. Good. And be sure that
you have your pencil and little notebook there
because when your husband comes home from work
tonight, he'll say, well, now, Annie, what did
Miss Cooman say today? And the first thing that
you... is the Scripture, the Word of God that
I give to you, because nothing that I can say
will be as important as the Word of God. When
I left you in our heart -to -heart talk regarding
the preservations of God's people, Israel, and
remember, Please never forget whenever I talk
about Israel and I talk about the seed of Abraham.
These were earthly people. And every covenant
and every promise that God made to Abraham and
to the seed of Abraham are all earthly promises
and earthly covenants. The seed of Abraham must
accept Jesus Christ as the true Messiah. He must
be born again if he is to enter into the kingdom
of heaven. When it comes to salvation, there
is no such thing as nationality. I want to repeat
that. For those who feel that because they may
be from the seed of Abraham, because they are
Jewish, they have a very spatial place in the
sight of God, that they do not need to be born
again as Gentiles. Oh, yes. When it comes to
entering the kingdom of heaven, when it comes
to entering heaven, when it comes to being an
heir of God, a joint heir with Christ Jesus,
there must be that new birth experience for each
individual. All right, now we're ready. The miracle,
and I mean exactly that, and I use that word
advisedly, the miracle of the preservation of
the children of Israel. throughout past generations,
all through their persecution, all through their
past history, is absolute proof that God will
certainly fulfill all the promises that he made
to them for the future. And it's just like that.
I cannot take the time. to review anything that
I said in a little heart -to -heart talk yesterday.
But let me just remind you again, as you look
back into Jewish history, you take the Red Sea,
when with just one master stroke, God completely
destroyed an enemy's nation and brought Israel
through victoriously. You take the River Jordan.
The waters that were parted so the Israelites
could enter into the land. Go on back through
history, way back to the time when God literally
caused the sun to stand still for almost an entire
day until the enemy had been defeated. But go
back also. to Israel's suffering, their sorrow,
their persecution because of their disobedience
unto the Lord. And it all started and God's blessing
lifted when they cried, His blood be upon us
and on our children. Literally, Thousands upon
thousands of Jews have been killed. March. No
people have been so hated throughout the world
as scattered people. Literally millions have
been killed. Take Jewish history. We speak of
Hitler. Oh, the hatred. When he tried to, through
his regime, destroy the Jewish people. He thought,
I believe that Hitler thought, that he could
wipe... out the Jews from off the face of the
earth. And he set out as a one man's army to
do just exactly that. But he didn't reckon with
God. God had a plan for Abraham and the seed
of Abraham. And God never changes his mind. God
never changes his plans. He has a perfect timetable.
He's never too late. He's never too soon. It
works according to schedule. And whenever he
has made a promise or a covenant, he keeps that
word and he keeps that covenant to the crossing
of every T and the dotting of every I. Suddenly,
things began to turn for the Jewish people. And
that's where I left you in our last heart -to
-heart talk. In 1753, the tide began to turn
when England passed a bill which provided a haven
for many, many Jews. And then in 1776, we were
only a small nation. So tiny. But when America
declared its independence, it became the greatest
of all the havens for the Jews. Something is
going to happen, how do I know? Because, my friend,
in that little book of Amos, not often do you
hear a minister quote from the book of Amos,
but there's something very important in it. It's
God's word. The ninth chapter of Amos and the
last two verses. If only Hitler had read those
two verses, he would have known that he could
not do away with the two. They would still rise
again. because God would set so. I read, I will
bring again the captivity of my people of Israel,
and they shall build away cities and inhabit
them. They shall plant vineyards and drink the
wine thereof. They shall also make gardens and
eat the fruit of them. How impossible this all
seemed during the persecution of the Jews. For
centuries, how absolutely fantastic this seemed.
It was impossible. And yet God said so. I continue,
and I will plant them upon their land, and they
shall no more be pulled up. out of their land,
which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.
Sometimes, you know, I think it would be the
best thing in the world if world leaders would
begin reading the Bible. I think it'd be marvelous
if sometimes we could just called a little recess
in the United Nations and say, now, gentlemen,
let's go to the Word of God and see what the
Word of God says about this thing. I think that
our world leaders would deal with things more
intelligently than perhaps they are dealing.
or will continue to deal because God is still
there. And this very hour, he has hooks, literally
hooks in the jaws of the nation. And in spite
of Israel's persecution, in spite of her past
history, God says, restore Israel to her full
blessing. I will plant them upon their land,
and they shall no more be pulled up out of their
land, which I have given them, saith the Lord
thy God. If Hitler had only known the word of
God. If nations in the past had only known God's
word, they would have known that in the future
there would be a time of regathering. All right,
now here is something that's thrilling. You see,
I never use just the Old Testament without the
New, neither the New Testament without the Old.
Never. That's the reason those of you who have
been following my ministry for years know that
I have said repeatedly that the Bible is a whole
book. You can't say, I'll just accept what's
in the Old Testament. I'll not accept what's
in the New. I'll just take the Old. You can't
understand the Old without accepting the New.
The New opens the Old. The Old Testament opens
the New Testament. It is all the very Word of
God, and the Holy Spirit has been its author.
Well, the Old and New Testament have the same
author. It's still all of God's Word. All right,
now here we're coming to something that's most
interesting. Turn to the New Testament, the 24th
chapter of Matthew. I'm turning to it right now,
and you would smile if you could see my poor
Bible. Part of the 24th chapter is no longer
there because I've worn it out. It's in shreds.
I've read it so often. I've used it so often.
I'm going to read it to you. I know it from memory.
I've quoted it that often, all right? It's the
24th chapter of Matthew. Begin, if you will,
please, with the 32nd verse. And it's Jesus speaking.
It's a parable. Now learn a parable of the fig
tree. When his branch is yet tender, put forth
leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise
ye... When ye shall see all these things, know
that it is near, even at the very door. The disciples
had just asked Jesus a most important question.
They were sitting on the Mount of Olives, and
the disciples were there. They were having a
heart -to -heart talk, just like we're having
now. The outside world was not there. They were
talking in confidence. And they came unto Jesus
and asked him this question. Tell us, when shall
these things be? And what shall be the sign of
thy coming and the end of the world? Now, there
will never be an end of the world, but Jesus
did not rebuke them for using The phrase, the
end of the world. He knew that they were asking
ignorance. He didn't rebuke them. There will
always be the world. Tell us, when shall these
things be? And what shall be the sign of thy
coming and of the end of the world? And Jesus
answered, in a parable, learn a... parable of
the fig tree. That's his answer. When his branch
is yet tender and put forth leaves, ye know that
summer is nigh. And so likewise ye, when ye shall
see all these things, know that it is near. How
near? Even at the doors. And when somebody is
standing at your door, he's practically in. All
that has to be done is to open the door and that
one steps in, even at the doors. Then he follows
with the word verily, and whenever he uses the
word verily, it's something that's most important.
Verily I say unto you, this generation shall
not pass away. Till all these things be fulfilled.
What generation? The generation that is living
when the fig tree begins to put on leaves. Let's
take this thing of the fig tree, my friend. Israel
is likened unto a big tree. I'm very frank to
tell you that what we're going to talk about
from this point on to my own heart is one of
the most thrilling, the most precious things
that I have brought to you for a long time. I
think it's one of the most enlightening portions
of the Word of God. You may have known for a
long time that Israel and the Word of God is
likened to a fig tree, but you've never gone
into it very deeply. So let us examine another
passage of Scripture which confirms that the
fig tree is symbolic of Israel. I never use the
Old Testament without the New, the New without
the Old. Now, Is there any other place in the
Bible where Israel is likened unto a fig tree?
Sure. Go to Jeremiah. Oh, I'm so glad you got
your Bibles out today. Read the whole chapter.
The 24th chapter of Jeremiah. Oh, let's begin
with the second verse. I won't have time to read
it all. You read it. Read it to your husband
when he comes home tonight. Study it. It's wonderful.
And study it along with the 24th chapter of Matthew.
The Lord showed me, and behold, two baskets of
figs were set before the temple of the Lord.
There were two baskets. One basket had very good
figs, even like the figs that were first ripe.
And the other basket had very naughty figs, which
could not be eaten. They were so bad. Can't you
just see these two baskets of figs? One basket
had very good figs, even like the figs that were
first ripe. And the other basket... had very
naughty figs, which could not be eaten. They
were so bad. Then said the Lord unto me, What
seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs. The good
figs. Very good. Oh, I tell you the psychology
of this. I have never studied psychology in my
life. I have never read a book on psychology
in my life. I have never studied psychology in
my life. All you have to do is to read the Word
of God and see how the Holy Spirit deals and
how the Lord deals with human beings. He always
gives you the blessed, the good first. Always.
He always deals with the positive. Take the first
psalm, read it. Blessed, the blessed man. And
then after he's given you a picture of the blessed
man, then he turns and he rebukes the sinner
and gives condemnation. Therefore, he shows the
good figs first. I said figs, the good figs,
Jeremiah said. Very good. And the evil, very
evil. that cannot be eaten. They are so evil.
Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Like
these good things, so will I acknowledge them
that are carried away captive Judah, whom I have
sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans
for their good. For I will set mine eyes upon
them for good. I will bring them again to this
land. I will build them. I'll not pull them down.
Oh, remember that scripture in the ninth chapter
of Amos, the 14th and 15th verses? He's saying
the same thing. I will bring them unto this land.
I will build them. I will not pull them down.
I will plant them and not pluck them up. I will
give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord,
and they shall be my people. I will be their
god, for they shall return unto me with their
whole hearts. The sign of the figs. The basket
of good figs. Very good. Even like the figs that
were first Right. The restoration of Israel.
Uh -huh. Restored again as a nation. Uh -huh.
Yeah. I will be their God and they shall return
unto me with their whole heart. Even as they
loved the Lord God with their hearts, when God
parted the Red Sea and made those waves stand
back as mold and glass and with one master's
stroke, the enemy's army was destroyed completely.
They shall love me with their whole hearts. They
shall follow me in complete obedience even as
they followed me when I blessed them and caused
the sun to stand still for nearly an entire day
until their enemy was defeated. But it shall
be different now. It is impossible for them to
love me with their whole hearts until, first
of all, they accept my son, Jesus Christ, as
their true Messiah. It's different. They cannot
accept me wholeheartedly without accepting my
son. son, Jesus, the true Messiah, and acknowledge
him an earthly people, an earthly nation, the
very seed of Abraham and of Isaac. They must
accept the Messiah, accept the fact that he is
all that he is. He said that he was. And they
couldn't do it. God's word said so. I will give
them an heart to know me. You know, you can't
accept Jesus Christ with just sheer head knowledge.
No, uh -uh. You can't. That is what is wrong
with religion today. It's head knowledge. It's
intellectual. You don't. Some people have their
minds crammed with religion. It doesn't mean
a thing. To accept Jesus Christ, the son of the
living God, as the true Messiah. Accept him in
the position that he is this very hour. The great
mediator, the great high priest. This wonderful
experience is a heart transaction. A heart matter.
I will give them an... not a mind to know me,
but a heart to know me, that I am the Lord, and
they shall be my people. I will be their God,
for they shall return unto me with their whole
heart. That is future, but God will keep his
word. Amen.